The State of the Union is one of America’s most famous speech giving traditions. The House chamber is bright at speech-time, buzzing with energy. It’s filled to capacity with Members of Congress, military brass, Supreme Court Justices, and top luminaries. For every paragraph the president delivers, there is at least some applause, and usually ovation.

Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. Turn off your iPhones, you can watch the Dorner coverage later. That means you, Joe.

My fellow Americans, 51 years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that, “the Constitution makes us not rivals for power, but partners for progress. It is my task to report the State of the Union. To improve it is the task of us all.”

It’s common for a president’s enemies to skewer what we now call SOTU — “platitudes, platitudes, platitudes,” one described Obama’s last year.

But plenty of others hate it, too. And for the usual reasons. The fact is, this imperfect tradition deserves two cheers, at least. It is — gasp! — useful. Anyone listening or reading on Tuesday can learn a lot. Because the speech is a…